Based on the statistical analysis by H.J. Newton, Professor of Statistics at Texas A&M University in 1997 on the National Research Council report issued in 1995, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee was ranked 72nd among public universities in the U.S. in the NRC Rankings.[9][10] It was also ranked among the top 100 universities in the U.S. by Vanguard College Ranking,[11] 247th by Washington Monthly[12] and one of the best Midwest colleges by Princeton Review.[13] The University ranked 189th in the US by research expenditure in 2007.[14]

College of Letters and Science offers 40 bachelor degrees, 20 masters and 12 doctoral degrees. Based on the statistical analysis by H.J. Newton, Professor of Statistics at Texas A&M University in 1997 on the National Research Council report issued in 1995, the National Research Council (NRC) rankings rank UW-Milwaukee's Anthropology program 62nd,[28]Economics program 88th,[29]English department 32nd,[30]Geosciences program 92nd,[31]Geography program 31st,[32]Physics program 88th[33] and Political Science program 51st.[34] The political science department was ranked 81st globally in a study published by Political Study Review in 2004.[35] In a study published by the Southern Economic Journal in 2008, the research productivity of the economics department was ranked in the top third of the 129 economics doctoral degree-granting institutions in the U.S.[36] The hydrogeology program within the Department of Geosciences was ranked among the top 100 programs in North America by the National Ground Water Association.[37]

School of Architecture and Urban Planning offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in Architecture and Urban Planning, with an enrollment of more than 800. The school was ranked among the top twenty by U.S. News and World Report in a recent report. The journal DesignIntelligence in an annual edition of "America's Best Architecture & Design Schools" has also ranked the School of Architecture and Urban Planning among the top twenty and second in the Midwest, as well as tied for third in their ‘Most Innovative Programs’ category. The Key Center for Architectural Sociology ranked School of Architecture and Urban Planning 18th in research performance among more than 130 schools in North America.[45]

School of Education offers five undergraduate major, five master's, and 12 doctoral programs. It also offers the only four-year interpreter training degree in Wisconsin. The school was ranked 67th nationally by U.S. News & World Report in 2012.[8]

Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business offers bachelor, master and doctoral degrees in a variety of specialities. The school has a total of more than four thousand students enrollment. The Management Information Systems (MIS) program of Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business is ranked 19th in the U.S. and 24th in the world by a study published in Communications for the Association for Information Systems.[48] Also, the Organizations and Strategic Management program is ranked 32nd worldwide by a joint study conducted by Texas A&M University and the University of Florida.[49] In 2006 and 2008, the School was ranked among the top 100 business schools around the world in terms of research productivity.[50]

School of Public Health is a graduate school focusing on public health research and education. It is one of more than 40 accredited schools of public health in the United States and the first devoted specifically to public health in Wisconsin.[51]